Cars have deep roots in America—today, 92 percent of U.S. households have one vehicle or more. In contrast, only 6.8 percent of the population lives in highly walkable places, according to a 2023 report by Smart Growth America. What’s more, a limited supply of walkable areas nationwide tends to drive housing prices in these neighborhoods up, widening the gap of who can afford to move there.
Where a person settles down can directly impact the lifestyle habits they adopt, says Glen Duncan, professor and chair of nutrition and exercise physiology at Washington State University. “Whether we’re active or sedentary really plays a profound role in our health status,” says Duncan. He adds that evidence suggests your environment can have big implications for your social and emotional wellbeing too.
What defines a walkable neighborhood?
Although many cities in Europe are known for their walkability, the most prominent examples of these districts in the U.S. include New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boulder, Colorado.
The research, led by Duncan, used metrics like intersection density, population density, and destination accessibility to measure walkability. Researchers discovered that each 1 percent increase in an area’s walkability led to a 0.42 percent increase in people actually walking around the neighborhood.
Much of a person’s access to a walkable haven depends on their starting location and their final destination, rather than general “walkability” of their town or neighborhood. “An area’s walkability may be somewhat fluid rather than static,” says Duncan.
